News feed for media content selection

ABSTRACT

Example embodiments provide a media content news feed identifying one or more media content streams that may be received and displayed. In an example embodiment, media content alert information is received at a media content device that describes at least one of a plurality of media content streams receivable at the media content device via a network. The received media content alert information is processed to generate a content news feed including one or more content news items. The content news feed is presented using the display device. A selection of one of the content news items of the feed is received, with the selected content news item identifying a corresponding media content stream of the plurality of streams. Based on the selected content news item, the corresponding media content stream is processed.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to presentation of mediacontent and, in a specific example embodiment, to presentation of acontent news feed for media content selection.

BACKGROUND

An ever-increasing number of media content sources continue to becomeavailable to users, ranging from several local terrestrial televisionchannels, to hundreds of satellite and cable television channels, to aplethora of online audio and/or video streams (e.g., sourced byNetflix®, YouTube™, and the like). With so many choices available, andwith many of these choices being broadcast or streamed “live,” a usermay experience difficulty keeping apprised of those items of mediacontent in which the user truly has an interest. While electronicprogram guides (EPGs) and similar sources of media content schedulinginformation may be available for a user to peruse or search, presumingthe media content is scheduled significantly in the future, moreemergent circumstances regarding items of media content, such asfast-breaking news stories, changing circumstances in sporting events,and so on, may not be available to the user, thus causing the user to beunaware of a particular media content item that would likely be ofinterest to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exampleembodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered aslimiting in scope.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example media content distributionsystem employing an example media content alert system and an examplecontent access device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example content access device employablein the example media content distribution system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method of employing media contentalert information to facilitate user selection of media content.

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of a presentation of a currentmedia content item.

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a presentation of a currentmedia content item with a displayed media content news feed.

FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of a presentation of a currentmedia content item with a displayed media content news feed, and with acontent news item the media content news feed selected.

FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of a presentation of a new mediacontent item selected by a user, along with the media content news feed.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example content preference data storageof the content access device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram of a machine in an example form ofa computing system within which a set of instructions for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed hereinmay be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious example embodiments of the present subject matter. It will beevident, however, to those skilled in the art, that example embodimentsof the present subject matter may be practiced without these specificdetails.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example media content distributionsystem 100 employing an example media content alert system 108 and anexample content access device 102. In the media content distributionsystem 100, a media content source system 106 and the media contentalert system 108 may communicate with the content access device 102 viaa communication network 110. Examples of the communication network 110may include, but are not limited to, a wide-area network (WAN) (e.g.,the Internet), a local area network (LAN), a cellular network (e.g.,third-generation (3G) or fourth-generation (4G) network), a cabletelevision network, a satellite television network, a terrestrialtelevision network, or any other communication network or connection, orcombinations thereof.

The media content source system 106 may be configured to transmit ordeliver one or more media content streams (e.g., audio/video content,video content, audio content, and so on, including movies, sportingevents, television episodes, songs, and the like) to one or more contentaccess devices 102 via the network 110. Examples of the media contentsource system 106 may include, but are not limited to, a cabletelevision provider system (e.g., a head-end), a satellite televisionprovider system, a television network media distribution system, anon-demand television system, an online video streaming service system,and the like. While FIG. 1 depicts a single media content source system106, two or more such media content source systems 106 may be includedin other example embodiments of the media content distribution system100.

The media content alert system 108 may be configured to transmit ordeliver media content alert information, such as timely updatesregarding one or more media content streams accessible from the mediacontent source system 106. Such information may be received in the formof rich site summary (RSS) news feed items, short message service (SMS)texts, social network posts from a social network platform (e.g.,Twitter®, Facebook®, and the like). Examples of the media content alertsystem 108 may include, but are not limited to, an RSS news feeddistribution system, an online news service system, and an online socialnetworking service. While FIG. 1 illustrates a single media contentalert system 108, multiple media content alert systems 108 may beincluded in some example embodiments of the media content distributionsystem 100. In some examples, at least one media content alert system108 may be incorporated within one or more media content source systems106.

The content access device 102 may be configured to receive the one ormore media content streams from one or more media content source systems106, and to receive media content alert information (e.g., RSS items,social media posts, and so on) from one or more media content alertsystems 108 via the network 110. The content access device 102 may alsobe configured to cause presentation of one or more of the media contentstreams, such as via a display device 104 communicatively coupled to thecontent access device 102. In some example embodiments, the displaydevice 104 may be connected to the content access device 102 in a wiredor wireless manner. In other example embodiments, the display device 104may be incorporated in the content access device 102. Examples of thecontent access device 102 may include, but are not limited to, a cableor satellite television set-top box (STB), a desktop computer, a tabletcomputer, a smart phone, a smart television, a content streaming device(e.g., a Roku® device), and a gaming device. Examples of the displaydevice 104 include, but are not limited to, a television, a videomonitor, a touchscreen, audio speakers, and the like. While FIG. 1depicts a single content access device 102 and associated display device104, other example embodiments may include multiple content accessdevices 102 and display devices 104 coupled via the network 110 to themedia content source system 106 and the media content alert system 108.

In at least some example embodiments described in greater detail below,the content access device 102 may generate a media content news feedfrom media content alert information received from the media contentalert system 108 via the network 110, and cause the presentation of themedia content news feed via the display device 104. The presentation ofthe media content news feed may be performed in conjunction with thepresentation of media content, such as one of the media content streamsprovided by the media content source system 106 via the network 110. Themedia content news feed may include information regarding the mediacontent streams available from the media content source system 106. Thecontent access device 102 may then receive a selection of an item of thecontent news feed and, in response to the selection of the item, process(e.g., cause the presentation or recording of a media content streamcorresponding to the selected content news item. Consequently, a user orviewer of the content access device 102 may be kept apprised of one ormore media content streams or items of potential interest to the user ona real-time basis while the user is viewing other content, and withoutrequiring the user to proactively search for such content, such as byway of perusing or searching an EPG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of the content access device 102employable in the media content distribution system 100 of FIG. 1. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, an example embodiment of the content accessdevice 102 includes a network interface 202, a media content processingmodule 204, a content alert access module 206, a content alertprocessing module 208, a content preference data storage 210, a mediacontent output interface 212, a media content data storage 214, and auser interface 216. In example embodiments, the various modules 202-216of the content access device 102 may be implemented in hardware logiccircuits and other electronic components), in software or firmware inthe form of instructions stored in a memory and configured to beexecuted on one or more hardware processors (e.g., microprocessors,microcontrollers, and the like), or some combination thereof. Also insome example embodiments, fewer than all of the modules 202-216 may beimplemented, and additional modules other than those explicitly depictedin FIG. 2 may be employed.

The network interface 202 may be configured to access and receive themedia content streams from the media content source system 106 and themedia content alert information from the media content alert system 108.In an example embodiment, the network interface 202 may include one ormore of a WAN (e.g., Internet) interface, an Ethernet local area network(LAN) interface, a wireless LAN (e.g., WiFi®, Bluetooth®, and so on)interface, a wireless cellular (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE®))interface, a cable television interface, a satellite televisionreceiver, a terrestrial television receiver, and so on.

The media content processing module 204 may be configured to processconvert, decrypt, decode, and so on) the media content streams receivedvia the network interface 202 for outputting to the display device 104(e.g., via the media content output interface 212), for recording andstorage (e.g., at the media content data storage 214 residing within thecontent access device 102, or via the media content output interface 212to an external data storage device, such as a magnetic disk drive, flashmemory, or the like), or for other purposes.

The content alert access module 206 may be configured to receive mediacontent alert information via the network interface 202. In an exampleembodiment, the media content alert information includes informationdescribing one or more aspects of one or more of the media contentstreams that may be received via the network interface 202. For example,the media content alert information may identify a particular mediacontent stream (e.g., by channel number, label, Uniform Resource Locator(URL), or other means) and describe some aspect or characteristic of theparticular content or subject matter of the identified stream, for oneor more of the media content streams that may be received via thenetwork interface 202.

In an example embodiment, the aspect of the content stream beingdescribed may be a starting time of a particular upcoming program orsegment of the stream, such as a sporting event (e.g., football orbaseball game), a movie, a news program, a television episode, a musicconcert, and so on. In another example, the aspect being described maybe an update to a particular program or segment that is already inprogress, such as the current score, amount of time remaining, and otherinformation regarding a sporting event, or an indication that somenewsworthy event has recently occurred that is being reported. Otherexamples of media content alert information are also possible.

in some example embodiments, at least some of the media content alertinformation may be organized into multiple items, with each itemincluding an identity of a particular media content stream and adescription of one or more aspects of that media content stream.Additionally, the content alert access module 206 may receive the mediacontent alert information from multiple media content alert systems 108or sources of one or more different types. In an example embodiment, anRSS feed system may serve as a media content alert system 108, with eachitem of the RSS feed being an alert describing an upcoming or currentprogram or segment of a particular media content stream. In addition, anRSS feed may be associated specifically with a source of one or morespecific media content streams, such as a major television network(e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and so on). In another example embodiment, asocial media network or online chat service (e.g., Twitter®, Facebook®,and the like) may serve as a media content alert system 108, with one ormore of the posts, “tweets,” or other items or entries provided by oneor more members of the social media network including the media contentalert information for one or more media content streams. Other potentialsources of media content alert information may include Short MessageService (SMS) texts, emails, and other forms of textual or graphicalinformation.

in example embodiments, the content alert access module 206 may beconfigured to access certain media content alert systems 108 or sources.The identity of those particular sources may be specified in the contentpreference data storage 210. For example, a user may employ the userinterface 216 to specify directly the sources from which the mediacontent alert information is to be received. In another exampleembodiment, the user may employ the user interface 216 to specify thosesources indirectly, such as by indicating which media content streams(e.g., by channel number, television network, online content source, andso on) are of interest to the user, and the content alert access module206 may determine the media content alert systems 108 from which themedia content alert information is to be received based on the selectedmedia content streams. In some example embodiments, by allowing the userto specify the particular sources of media content alert information touse, or by providing the user with a predetermined set of such sourcesfrom which the user may select, the probability of receiving alertinformation from a malicious source may be reduced.

To receive the media content alert information from one or more media.content alert systems 108, the content alert access module 206 mayemploy any method of receiving the media content alert informationcompatible with the source of that information. For example, to receivean RSS feed containing media content alert information, the contentalert access module 206 may subscribe to that particular RSS feed. Inanother example, to receive texts or emails containing media contentalert information, the content alert access module 206 may subscribe tothe selected source providing the texts or emails by way of a mobilenumber or email address associated with the content access device 102.More generally, the content alert access module 206 may either receivethe media content alert information by way of a push model, by which amedia content alert system 108 transmits each item of media contentalert information as it becomes available, or may periodically poll amedia content alert system 108 to retrieve whatever new media contentalert information is currently available.

In response to the content alert access module 206 receiving mediacontent alert information, the content alert processing module 208 maybe configured to process that information to generate items of a mediacontent “news feed” or information stream for presentation via thedisplay device 104 communicatively coupled to the content access device102. In some example embodiments, the content alert processing module208 may filter the received media content alert information to remove orignore one or more items of the alert information before presentation.Further, the removing or ignoring of alert information items may bebased on information stored in the content preference data storage 210,as described above. For example, the content preference data storage 210may include data indicating the favorite sports or sports teams of theuser of the content access device 102. Consequently, the content alertprocessing module 208 may ignore or deprioritize sports-related alertinformation items that do not involve the favorite sports or sportsteams denoted in the content preference data storage 210. In anothersports-related example embodiment, the content preference data module210 may include data regarding particular circumstances in which alertinformation regarding a particular sporting event should be presented,such as the score differential between two teams of a sporting event,the time remaining in the sporting event, and so on. The content alertprocessing module 208 may then determine whether a sports-related alertinformation item may be ignored or presented via the display device 104based on the data stored in the content preference data storage 210.

In other example embodiments, the content alert processing module 208may be configured to filter the received media content alert informationaccording to favorite or preferred media content streams, subjectmatter, people, and so on. In various examples, a user's favorite mediacontent streams (e.g., favorite broadcast channels, online contentsources, and so on), favorite subject matter (e.g., favorite moviegenres, musical genres, sports, television programs, and the like),favorite people (e.g., favorites actors, directors, singers, musicalbands, historical figures, sports figures, news commentators, and thelike), and other data indicating favorite topics or subject matters of auser may be indicated in data stored in the content preference datastorage 210 for use by the content alert processing module 208 to filterthe received media content alert information. As indicated above, suchinformation may be specified by a user of the content access device 102via the user interface 216.

In an example embodiment, the content alert processing module 208 may beconfigured to process the received media content alert information byparsing one or more items of the received alert information to identifythe particular media content stream and description associated with thatstream in the text of the item. In yet other example embodiments, thecontent alert processing module 208 may be configured to employ theparsed alert information items to generate related items of the contentnews feed to be presented via the display device 104, possibly in astandardized or common presentation format. For example, each contentnews feed item may begin with an identification of the particular mediacontent stream (e.g., broadcast channel number, broadcast network name,etc.), followed by a description of the particular content item orsegment being streamed, along with possibly some description as to itsrelative importance or interest to a user or viewer.

As discussed more fully above, the content preference data storage 210may be configured to store preference data related to the reception andprocessing of the media content alert information. In some exampleembodiments, the content preference data storage 210 may storeconfiguration data related to the presentation of the media content newsfeed generated from the received and processed media content alertinformation. For example, the content preference data storage 210 mayinclude information specifying a location on the display device 104 atwhich the media content news feed is to be presented, such as along theleft or right side of the display surface, or along a bottom of thedisplay area as an information “crawl,” in which text of the items ofthe media content news feed proceed from right to left. The contentpreference data storage 210 may also include configuration dataregarding a font, color, and/or other characteristic of the text of themedia content news feed items. Further, the content preference datastorage may include data indicating a total number of content news feeditems to display on the display device 104 at any time, a relativepriority of the various types of content news feed items that determinethe order in which the content news feed items are presented on thedisplay device 104, configuration data that indicates if and when thecontent news feed items are to be presented on the display device 104,and so on.

The media content output interface 212 may be configured to causepresentation of one or more received media content items, possibly alongwith one or more media content news feed items, via the display device104. In example embodiments in which the display device 104 is locatedexternally to the content access device 102, the media content outputinterface 212 may be a High-Definition Multimedia interface (HDMI), acomposite video interface, a component video interface, a radiofrequency (RF) coaxial cable interface, or the like. In exampleembodiments in which the display device 104 is located within thecontent access device 102, a more proprietary interface compatible withthe display device 104 may be implemented.

The media content data storage 214 may be configured to store one ormore recorded portions of one or more media content streams received viathe network interface 202 and processed by the media content processingmodule 204, thus facilitating the use of the content access device 102as a digital video recorder (DVR) or digital audio recorder. Asillustrated in the example embodiment of FIG. 2, the media content datastorage 214 is located within the content access device 102. In otherexample embodiments, the media content data storage 214 may be locatedexternally to the content access device 102, communicatively coupledtherewith by way of a wired or wireless communication interface.

The user interface 216 may be configured to receive commands for thecontent access device 102 from a user, such as for specifyingconfiguration data stored in the content preference data storage 210,selecting one or more media content streams for presentation orrecording, selecting one or more media content news feed items for mediacontent stream selection or recording, and other functions performed inthe content access device 102. The user interface 216 may include aninterface for communicating with a keyboard, mouse, remote control, orother user input device that a user may employ to input commands to thecontent access device 102.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method 300 of employing media.content alert information to facilitate user selection of media content.While the operations of the method 300 are described hereinafter inrelation to the various modules 202-216 of the content access device102, other devices or modules not described may perform the operationsin other example embodiments. Also, while the operations of the method300 of FIG. 3 are presented in a particular order, other orders ofexecution are also possible, including simultaneous, concurrent, oroverlapping execution of two or more operations.

In the method 300, the content alert access module 206 may receive mediacontent alert information from one or more media content alert systems108 (operation 302) via the network interface 202, as described above.In an example embodiment, the content alert access module 206 may employconfiguration data stored in the content preference data storage 210 toidentify the particular media content alert systems 108 to access. Whilethe media content alert information is being received, the media contentprocessing module 204 may be receiving and processing one or more mediacontent streams from one or more media content source systems 106 viathe network interface 202, such as streams selected by the user via theuser interface 216. The media content processing module 204 may alsoprovide the processed streams to either or both of the media contentoutput interface 212 for presentation via the display device 104 or themedia content data storage 214 for recording for later presentation.

The content alert processing module 208 may process the received mediacontent alert information to generate a media content news feed(operation 304) for presentation via the display device 104 (operation306). In an example embodiment, the processing of the received mediacontent alert information may include filtering, parsing, formatting,and other processing operations, possibly based on configuration dataresiding in the content preference data storage 210, as discussed above.

During the presentation of the media content news feed, the contentaccess device 102 may receive a user input via the user interface 216indicating a selection of an item of the media content news feed(operation 308). The selection may cause the media content processingmodule 204 to process (e.g., cause presentation or recording) of themedia content stream identified by the selected content news feed item(operation 310). In an example embodiment, the user interface 216 mayreceive a related selection indicating whether the media content stream(e.g., a particular program or segment of the media content stream) isto be presented live or recorded for subsequent viewing.

FIGS. 4 through 7 are graphical representations of a content display ofthe display device 104 at various phases of an example embodiment ofreceiving and employing media content alert information. For example,FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of a presentation 400 of a currentmedia content item 402 (e.g., a previously recorded program stored inthe media content data storage 214, or a media content stream currentlybeing received via the network interface 202) on the display device 104.At this particular point in time, in an example embodiment, there may beno media content alert information to receive, process, and present as amedia content news feed via the display device 104. In another exampleembodiment, presentation of a media content news feed may be disabled,such as by way of configuration data stored in the content preferencedata storage 210, or a current selection received from the user via theuser interface 216.

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a presentation 500 of thecurrent media content item 402 with a displayed media content news feed502. In this example embodiment, the media content news feed 502 ispresented along a right-hand edge of the display area of the displaydevice 104, although other locations may be selected for the mediacontent news feed 502, such as by way of configuration data stored inthe content preference data storage 210. Further, in the particularexample embodiment of FIG. 5, the visible size of the current mediacontent item 402 is reduced while retaining the form factor of thecurrent media content item 402. In other example embodiments, the mediacontent news feed 502 may be laid atop a portion of the displayedcurrent media content item 402, thus possibly obscuring a portion of thecurrent media content item 402 while allowing the current media contentitem 402 to occupy a greater overall portion of the viewable area of thedisplay device 104.

As depicted in FIG. 5, the media content news feed 502 includes severalseparate news feed items 504, 506, 508, 510, 512. Each of the contentnews feed items 504 through 512 indicates a particular media contentstream (e.g., Channel 654 (“CH 654”)), along with a description of theparticular content or program that is currently being presented, or thatwill be presented in the near future. For example, the description ofthe first news feed item 504 indicates that the Broncos-Chiefs gamebeing shown on Channel 564 is tied 14-14 with five minutes and 32 secondleft in the game. News feed item 506 indicates that the movie “Gone withthe Wind” begins at 8 PM on Channel 742, while news feed item 508indicates that a presidential press conference begins in five minutes onChannel 358. Furthermore, news feed item 510 indicates that live newscoverage of a tsunami affecting South America is being presented onChannel 667. Finally, news item 512 indicates that the score in theAvalanche-Sharks hockey game being presented on Channel 248 is 3-2 withthree minutes and 56 seconds remaining in the game. In other examples,identifiers for one or more of the news feed items 504-512 may besomething other than channel numbers, such as station call letters,network names, URLs, website names, and so on.

In an example embodiment, each of the content news feed items 504-512may be selected from a greater number of possible content news feeditems represented from the media content alert information received viathe network interface 202. In another example embodiment, a greaternumber of content news feed items may be available in the media contentnews feed 502 for presentation, with the various items being cycled forpresentation, such as by way of a “scrolling” or “crawling” action onthe display device 104. In other example embodiments, the number ofitems 504-512 of the media content news feed 502 may be limited to somenumber (e.g., one or two) to reduce the level of distraction thatpresenting a greater number of content news feed items may generate.

The displayed content news items 504-512 of the media content news feed502 may be selected based on sport team preferences, movie genrepreferences, television program preferences, actor preferences, mediacontent stream preferences, and so on. In addition, the order in whichthe items 504-512 of the media content news feed 502 may be presented onthe display device 104 may be determined by a relative weight orpriority assigned to each of the items 504-512 indicated byconfiguration data stored in the content preference data storage 210.For example, the configuration data may prioritize football games overmovies, news events, and hockey games.

FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of a presentation 600 of thecurrent media content item 402 with a displayed media content news feed502, and with a content news feed item 504 selected by the user from themedia content news feed 502. In an example embodiment, the user of thecontent access device 102 may employ the user interface 216 (e.g., via akeyboard, remote control, or other user interface device) to select theitem 504. In an example embodiment, the selection of the item 504 mayresult in the presentation of the media content stream (e.g., Channel654) on the display device 104, either by itself or in conjunction withthe currently displayed media content item 402.

In the particular example of FIG. 6, selection of the content news feeditem 504 results in the presentation of the item 504 being modified topresent a plurality of options 602, 603, 604. More specifically, theoptions include a first option 602 (“Watch”) causing the correspondingmedia content stream to be presented immediately via the display device104, a second option 604 (“Record”) causing the corresponding mediacontent stream to be recorded for subsequent viewing, and a third option606 (“Remove”) causing the selected content news feed item 504 to beremoved from the media content news feed 502. Other options regarding aselected news feed item may be presented and implemented in otherexample embodiments. For example, an option may be provided to delayaction on the item 504, which may result in the item 504 beingtemporarily removed from the news feed 502 for some period of time,after which an updated version of the same item 504 may be presented inthe news feed 502 once again. Moreover, the initial selection of thenews feed item 504 may result in the presentation and/or recording ofthe corresponding media content stream based on configuration datastored in the content preference data storage 210, thus potentiallyresulting in the options 602, 604, 606 depicted in FIG. 6 not beingpresented via the display device 104.

FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of a presentation 700 of the newmedia. content stream associated with the content news feed item 504selected by the user (depicted in FIG. 6), along with the media contentnews feed 502. In this example embodiment, the selected media contentstream 702 (Channel 654, presenting the Broncos-Chiefs game) ispresented in replacement of the media content item 402 that waspreviously being presented via the display device 104, such as inresponse to the selection of the “Watch” option 602 illustrated in FIG.6. In another example embodiment, the selected media content stream 702may be presented in conjunction with the current media content item 402,such as in a picture-in-picture (PIP) configuration.

Moreover, in response to the selection of one of the options 602, 604,606 of the selected content news feed item 504, the selected contentnews feed item 504 may be removed from the media content news feed 502,as depicted in FIG. 7. Additionally, a new content news feed item 704(e.g., an item indicating that the Buffs-Ducks football is being shownon Channel 119, with the Buffs leading the game 20-17 with one minuteand 35 seconds remaining in the game) may be added to the media contentnews feed 502.

in the particular example embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the programindicated in content news feed item 504 (e.g., the Broncos-Chiefs game)was immediately accessible via the corresponding media content stream(e.g., Channel 654), resulting in the presentation of the correspondingmedia content stream immediately in response to the selection of theWatch option 602. In another example embodiment in which the contentnews feed item 506 associated with the movie “Gone with the Wind” isselected, the program item of interest is not available for viewing orrecording until 8 PM. Consequently, selection of the content news feeditem 506 to view or record the movie may result in the content accessdevice 102 presenting or recording the movie beginning at theappropriate time (8 PM).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of the contentpreference data storage 210 of the content access device 102 of FIG. 2.In this example embodiment, the content preference data storage 210 maystore configuration data that includes favorite channels/streams data802, favorite sports teams data 804, favorite shows/genres data 806,favorite people data 808, content news factor weights 810, and news feeddisplay configuration data 812. In other example embodiments, greater orfewer types of configuration data other than those types illustrated inFIG. 8 may be employed by the content alert access module 206 and thecontent alert processing module 208 in receiving and processing themedia content alert information from the one or more media content alertsystems 108 of FIG. 1. In some example embodiments, the content accessdevice 102 may employ the user interface 216 to receive user input todefine the configuration data stored in the content preference datastorage 210. Thereafter, the content alert access module 206 mayidentify and receive media content alert information from one or moremedia content alert systems 106, and the content alert processing module208 may process (e.g., filter) the received media content alertinformation, based on the configuration data stored in the contentpreference data storage 210.

More specifically, the favorite channels/streams data 802 may indicatethe various broadcast channels, online media content streams, and othermedia content streams that the content access device 102 may receive viathe network interface 202 that the user of the content access device 102prefers. In an example embodiment, the favorite channels/streams data802 may also include identity information of preferred media contentsource systems 106 and preferred media content alert systems 108 fromwhich media content streams and associated media content alertinformation are to be received. The favorite sports teams data 804 mayindicate teams and/or sports of particular preference by the user. Thefavorite shows/genres data 806 may indicate the user's preference forparticular television shows or programs, movie genres, music genres, andso on. The favorite people data 808 may indicate particular preferencesof the user for specific people (e.g., actors, directors, writers,composers, musicians, athletes, celebrities, and others) that may beinvolved in a media content item. Other types of user preferences may bespecified in the content preference data storage 210 in other exampleembodiments.

In an example embodiment, the content alert processing module 208 mayemploy multiple ones of the preferences indicated in the preference data802-808 as factors to be combined in determining which items of thereceived media content alert information are to be presented as contentnews feed items 504-512 of the media content news feed 502. In combiningthe preferences, the content preference data storage 210 may storecontent news factor weights 810 or priorities that may be used to weightthe multiple preferences of the preference data 802-808 so that thepreference data 802-808 may be combined (e.g., added) to generate ascore for each of multiple possible content news feed items of the mediacontent news feed 502. The possible content news feed items with thehighest scores may then be presented as displayed content news feeditems 504-512 of the media content news feed 502. Other exampleembodiments employing content news factors weights 810 are alsopossible.

Also stored in the content preference data storage 210 in an exampleembodiment, the news feed display configuration data 812 may indicateuser preferences regarding a plurality of options determining multipleaspects of the presentation of the news feed items 504-512 of the mediacontent news feed 502 via the display device 104. Such aspects mayinclude, but are not limited to, a screen location at which the contentnews feed 502 is displayed, a data format (e.g., color, font, level ofdetail of the information imparted) to which the content news feed items504-512 adhere, a maximum or minimum number of data items 504-512 thatmay be presented in the content news feed 502 at any one time, whetherthe content news feed 502 is presented over a currently displayed mediacontent stream 402, whether the display area consumed by the currentdisplayed media content stream 402 is reduced, and the like.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 900,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions 924from a machine-readable medium 922 (e.g., a non-transitorymachine-readable medium, a machine-readable storage medium, or acomputer-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, in whole or in part. Specifically, FIG.9 depicts the machine 900 in the example form of a computer device(e.g., a computer) within which the instructions 924 (e.g., software,firmware, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or otherexecutable code) for causing the machine 900 to perform any one or moreof the methodologies discussed herein, in whole or in part.

For example, the instructions 924 may cause the machine 900 to executethe flow diagram of FIG. 3, as well as all example embodimentsassociated therewith. The instructions 924 can transform the general,non-programmed machine 900 into a particular machine (e.g., speciallyconfigured machine) programmed to carry out the described andillustrated functions in the manner described. Also, in exampleembodiments, the machine 900 may operate as one or more of the modules202-212 of the content access device 102 of FIG. 2, or any othercomputing system or device described herein.

In example embodiments, the machine 900 operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. The machine 900may be a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), atablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a smartphone, aweb appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, apower adapter, or any machine 900 capable of executing the instructions924, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine 900. Further, while only a single machine 900 is illustrated,the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection ofmachines that individually or jointly execute the instructions 924 toperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The machine 900 includes a processor 902 (e.g., a central processingunit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor(DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aradio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), or any suitable combinationthereof), a main memory 904, and a static memory 906, which areconfigured to communicate with each other via a bus 908. The processor902 may contain microcircuits that are configurable, temporarily orpermanently, by some or all of the instructions 924 such that theprocessor 902 is configurable to perform any one or more of themethodologies described herein, in whole or in part. For example, a setof one or more microcircuits of the processor 902 may be configurable toexecute one or more modules (e.g., software modules) described herein.

The machine 900 may further include a graphics display 910 (e.g., aplasma display panel (PDP), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, a cathode ray tube (CRT), orany other display capable of displaying graphics or video). The machine900 may also include an alphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboardor keypad), a cursor control device 914 (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, atrackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, an eye tracking device, or otherpointing instrument), a storage unit 916, a signal generation device 918(e.g., a sound card, an amplifier, a speaker, a headphone jack, or anysuitable combination thereof), and a network interface device 920.

The storage unit 916 includes the machine-readable medium 922 (e.g., atangible machine-readable storage medium) on which is stored theinstructions 924 embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The instructions 924 may also reside,completely or at least partially, within the main memory 904, within theprocessor 902 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor 902), orboth, before or during execution thereof by machine 900. Accordingly,the main memory 904 and the processor 902 may be consideredmachine-readable media 922 (e.g., tangible and non-transitorymachine-readable media).

In some example embodiments, the machine 900 may be a portable or mobilecomputing device and have one or more additional input components (e.g.,sensors or gauges). Examples of such input components include an imageinput component (e.g., one or more cameras), an audio input component(e.g., a microphone), a direction input component (e.g., a compass), alocation input component (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS)receiver), an orientation component (e.g., a gyroscope), a motiondetection component (e.g., one or more accelerometers), an altitudedetection component (e.g., an altimeter), and a gas detection component(e.g., a gas sensor). Inputs harvested by any one or more of these inputcomponents may be accessible and available for use by any of the modulesdescribed herein.

As used herein, the term “memory” refers to a machine-readable medium922 able to store data temporarily or permanently and may be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, and cache memory. While themachine-readable medium 922 is shown in an example embodiment to be asingle medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken toinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to storeinstructions 924. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be takento include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is capableof storing instructions 924 for execution by a machine (e.g., machine900), such that the instructions 924, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine 900 (e.g., processor 902), cause the machine900 to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein.The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, one or more data repositories in theform of a solid-state memory, an optical medium, a magnetic medium, orany suitable combination thereof.

Furthermore, the machine-readable medium 922 is non-transitory in thatit does not embody a propagating or transitory signal. However, labelingthe machine-readable medium 922 as “non-transitory” should not beconstrued to mean that the medium is incapable of movement; the mediumshould be considered as being transportable from one physical locationto another in some example embodiments. Additionally, since themachine-readable medium 922 is tangible, the medium may be considered amachine-readable device.

The instructions 924 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 926 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 920 and utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Examplesof communication networks 926 include a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, plain oldtelephone service (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g.,Wi-Fi®, LTE®, and WIMAX™ networks). The term “transmission medium” shallbe taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing,encoding, or carrying instructions 924 for execution by the machine 900,and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

In an example embodiment, a computerized method comprises receiving, ata media content device via a network, media content alert informationdescribing at least one of a plurality of media content streamsreceivable at the media content device via the network from one or moremedia content source systems; processing, by the media content device,using at least one or more hardware processors of the media contentdevice, the received media content alert information to generate acontent news feed comprising one or more content news items; causing, bythe media content device using the display device, presentation of thecontent news feed; receiving, at the media content device, a selectionof a content news item of the one or more content news items of thecontent news feed, the selected content news item identifying acorresponding media content stream of the plurality of media contentstreams; and processing, by the media content device, based on theselected content news item, the corresponding media content stream.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the processing of the corresponding media content streamcomprises receiving, at the media content device via the network, thecorresponding media content stream; and causing, by the media contentdevice, using the display device, presentation of the correspondingmedia content stream.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises causing, by the media contentdevice using the display device, during the presentation of the contentnews feed, presentation of a media content item; and causing, by themedia content device, the presentation of the media content item tocease in conjunction with the causing of the presentation of thecorresponding media content stream.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the media content item comprises one of the plurality ofmedia content streams, and the method further comprises receiving, atthe media content device via the network, the media content item.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the processing of the corresponding media content streamcomprises receiving, at the media content device via the network, thecorresponding media content stream; and causing, by the media contentdevice, recording of the corresponding media content stream.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the one or more media content source systems comprise abroadcast content provider system, and the plurality of video contentstreams comprise a plurality of video content broadcast channels.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the one or more media content source systems comprise anonline video content provider system, and the plurality of video contentstreams comprise a plurality of live video content streams.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the media content alert information comprises at least onerich site summary (RSS) feed being received via the network.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, each of the at least one RSS feed includes media contentalert information corresponding to a particular one or more of theplurality of media content streams.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises subscribing, using the mediacontent device, to the at least one RSS feed based on content preferenceinformation stored at the media content device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the media content alert information is received via thenetwork from at least one online news service.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the media content alert information is received via thenetwork from at least one online social networking service.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises selecting, by the mediacontent device, the media content alert information being received basedon preference information stored at the media content device, thepreference information comprising an identity of at least one of theplurality of media content streams.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the processing of the media content alert informationcomprises filtering the received media content alert information basedon preference information stored at the media content device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the preference information comprises an identity of atleast one of the plurality of media content streams.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the preference information comprises an identity of asports team.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the preference information comprises an identity of aperson.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the preference information comprises an identity of atleast one of a media content program and a media content genre.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the causing of the presentation of the content news feed isbased on preference information comprising at least one of a location onthe display device at which the content news feed is to be displayed,and a format in which the content news feed is to be presented.

In an example embodiment, a media content device comprises one or morehardware processors; and a memory having stored therein instructionsthat, when executed by at least one of the one or more hardwareprocessors, cause the media content device to perform operationscomprising receiving, via a network, media content alert informationdescribing at least one of a plurality of media content streamsreceivable at the media content device via the network from one or moremedia content source systems; processing the received media contentalert information to generate a content news feed comprising one or morecontent news items; causing, using the display device, presentation ofthe content news feed; receiving a selection of a content news item ofthe one or more content news items of the content news feed, theselected content news item identifying a corresponding media contentstream of the plurality of media content streams; and processing, basedon the selected content news item, the corresponding media contentstream.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the media content device comprises the display device.

In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium comprises instructions that, when executed by one or morehardware processors of a machine, cause the machine to performoperations comprising receiving, via a network, media content alertinformation describing at least one of a plurality of media contentstreams receivable at the media content device via the network from oneor more media content source systems; processing the received mediacontent alert information to generate a content news feed comprising oneor more content news items; causing, using the display device,presentation of the content news feed; receiving a selection of acontent news item of the one or more content news items of the contentnews feed, the selected content news item identifying a correspondingmedia content stream of the plurality of media content streams; andprocessing, based on the selected content news item, the correspondingmedia content stream.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain example embodiments are described herein as including logic or anumber of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constituteeither software modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readablemedium 922 or in a transmission signal) or hardware modules. A “hardwaremodule” is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations andmay be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In variousexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalonecomputer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system)or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor902 or a group of processors 902) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In some example embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. Forexample, a hardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic thatis permanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may be a special-purpose processor, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware module mayalso include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarilyconfigured by software to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may include software encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor. It will beappreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringexample embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured(e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configuredor instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where ahardware module comprises a general-purpose processor configured bysoftware to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purposeprocessor may be configured as respectively different special-purposeprocessors (e.g., comprising different hardware modules) at differenttimes. Software may accordingly configure a processor, for example, toconstitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time and toconstitute a different hardware module at a different instance of time.

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions describedherein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to ahardware module implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, a processor being an example of hardware. Forexample, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed byone or more processors or processor-implemented modules.

Some portions of the subject matter discussed herein may be presented interms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on datastored as bits or binary digital signals within a machine memory (e.g.,a computer memory). Such algorithms or symbolic representations areexamples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilledin the art. As used herein, an “algorithm” is a self-consistent sequenceof operations or similar processing leading to a desired result. In thiscontext, algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation ofphysical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities maytake the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable ofbeing stored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwisemanipulated by a machine. It is convenient at times, principally forreasons of common usage, to refer to such signals using words such as“data,” “content,” “bits,” “values,” “elements,” “symbols,”“characters,” “terms,” “numbers,” “numerals,” or the like. These words,however, are merely convenient labels and are to be associated withappropriate physical quantities.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or any suitable combination thereof), registers, orother machine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, theterms “a” or “an” are herein used, as is common in patent documents, toinclude one or more than one instance. Finally, as used herein, theconjunction “or” refers to a non-exclusive “or,” unless specificallystated otherwise.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these example embodiments without departingfrom the broader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Forexample, various embodiments or features thereof may be mixed andmatched or made optional by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Suchembodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein,individually or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any single inventive concept if more than one is, infact, disclosed.

The example embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficientdetail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachingsdisclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, suchthat structural and logical substitutions and changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. The DetailedDescription, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and thescope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims,along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, orstructures described herein as a single instance. Additionally,boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, anddata stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations areillustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Otherallocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scopeof various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structuresand functionality presented as separate resources in the exampleconfigurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource.Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resourcemay be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope ofembodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appendedclaims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A computerized method comprising: causing, by a content accessdevice, presentation of first video content on a display device;receiving, by the content access device and via a network, alertinformation that identifies second video content, accessible by thecontent access device via the network, the alert information identifyingan aspect associated with the second video content; displaying, by thecontent access device and based on preference data, an item in a userinterface on the display device over the presentation of the first videocontent, the item providing, upon selection, a plurality of options;receiving, by the content access device, a selection of an option of theplurality of options; and causing an action to be performed thatcorresponds to the selected option.
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 20. A content access device comprising: one ormore hardware processors; and a memory storing instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one of the one or more hardware processors, causethe content access device to perform operations comprising: causingpresentation of first video content on a display device; receiving, viaa network, alert information that identifies second video content,accessible by the content access device via the network, the alertinformation identifying an aspect associated with the second videocontent; displaying, based on preference data, an item in a userinterface on the display device over the presentation of the first videocontent, the item providing, upon selection, a plurality of options;receiving a selection of an option of the plurality of options; andcausing an action to be performed that corresponds to the selectedoption.
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 22. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedia storing instructions that, when executed by at least one hardwareprocessor of a content access device, cause the content access device toperform operations comprising: causing presentation of first videocontent on a display device; receiving, via a network, alert informationthat identifies second video content, accessible by the content accessdevice via the network, the alert information identifying an aspectassociated with the second video content; displaying, based onpreference data, an item in a user interface on the display device overthe presentation of the first video content, the item providing, uponselection, a plurality of options; receiving a selection of an option ofthe plurality of options; and causing an action to be performed thatcorresponds to the selected option.
 23. The computerized method of claim1, wherein the causing of the action to be performed comprises causingthe second video content to be recorded.
 24. The computerized method ofclaim 1, wherein the causing of the action to be performed comprisescausing the item to be removed from the user interface.
 25. Thecomputerized method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the action to beperformed comprises causing the item to be removed from the userinterface for a period of time.
 26. The computerized method of claim 1,wherein the causing of the action to be performed comprises causing thesecond video content to be presented in place of the first videocontent.
 27. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the causing ofthe action to be performed on the second video content comprises causingthe second video content to be presented in conjunction with the firstvideo content.
 28. The computerized method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, by the content access device and from a firstsource system, the first video content; and receiving, by the contentaccess device and from a second source system distinct from the firstsource system, the second video content.
 29. The computerized method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of the item in theuser interface.
 30. The content access device of claim 20, wherein thecausing of the action to be performed comprises causing the second videocontent to be recorded.
 31. The content access device of claim 20,wherein the causing of the action to be performed comprises causing theitem to be removed from the user interface.
 32. The content accessdevice of claim 20, wherein the causing of the action to be performedcomprises causing the item to be removed from the user interface for aperiod of time.
 33. The content access device of claim 20, wherein thecausing of the action to be performed comprises causing the second videocontent to be presented in place of the first video content.
 34. Thecontent access device of claim 20, wherein the causing of the action tobe performed on the second video content comprises causing the secondvideo content to be presented in conjunction with the first videocontent.
 35. The content access device of claim 20, wherein theoperations further comprise: receiving, by the content access device andfrom a first source system, the first video content; and receiving, bythe content access device and from a second source system distinct fromthe first source system, the second video content.
 36. The contentaccess device of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprisereceiving a selection of the item in the user interface.
 37. Thecomputer-readable storage media of claim 22, wherein the causing of theaction to be performed comprises causing the second video content to berecorded.
 38. The computer-readable storage media of claim 22, whereinthe causing of the action to be performed comprises causing the item tobe removed from the user interface.
 39. The computer-readable storagemedia of claim 22, wherein the causing of the action to be performedcomprises causing the item to be removed from the user interface for aperiod of time.
 40. The computer-readable storage media of claim 22,wherein the causing of the action to be performed comprises causing thesecond video content to be presented in place of the first videocontent.
 41. The computer-readable storage media of claim 22, whereinthe causing of the action to be performed on the second video contentcomprises causing the second video content to be presented inconjunction with the first video content.